


Tone Deaf

by Everlind



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-01
Updated: 2013-07-01
Packaged: 2017-12-16 18:53:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/865425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everlind/pseuds/Everlind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiyoshi asks a friend to help him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tone Deaf

He should've asked someone else.

But when it is about music and more specifically playing music on a piano, there is only one name to leap to mind and that is Ohtori Choutarou. So he asked him. They're friends and Ohtori was absolutely glad to help him out, because that is what he does -help people.

Not that he is not helping him now. He is. At least, he knows that he is. But he can only sit there and stare as Ohtori's fingers fly over the keys and there's sound. Which is nice. 

But then he stops making the sound and turns to Hiyoshi. "Now you try again, Hiyoshi-kun," he says, scooting a bit aside on the bench to give him more room. That's not so nice.

Hiyoshi frowns and inches sideways so he's sitting where Ohtori sat. Then he looks at the keys. Takes a deep inhale. And looks at the keys some more.

"Like so," Ohtori says, lifting his own and setting them on the keys, fingers arching just  _so_.

Hiyoshi studies them carefully and then copies him. Ohtori fidgets uncomfortably for exactly five seconds before he reaches and moulds Hiyoshi's hands they way they ought to be.

"Sorry," he says, giving a smile.

"It's alright," Hiyoshi answers and it is, even if the way Ohtori directed his fingers to bend is an awfully uncomfortable feeling. Muscles straining all unnatural.

Okay. Piano. Posture. 

Now.

Music.

He knows what to do. Hiyoshi is clever, he's a diligent student and even if he doesn't particularly  _like_  (like, at all) music class, it's no reason not to do the best he can. So he's fully aware which keys he needs to press and when, how to keep his eyes on the first staff because the teacher gets mad when they gape down at their own hands.  

He plods through halfway the song before Ohtori's cringing gets on his nerves. 

 _Peee-LONK_ , the piano says when Hiyoshi drops his hands to level a look at him.

"Uhm," Ohtori says and it is actually rather amusing to watch the war of expressions on his face. Thing with Ohtori being is that he is so ridiculously kind that he feels bad to tell Hiyoshi he… sucks.

Because he does. Hiyoshi knows he does.

That's why he asked his most musically talented friend to help him. Because he needs to play this song next week for marks and despite knowing how, he somehow just gets completely and utterly lost as soon as he tries to. A lot like languages, he feels. You can study all night long on a specific grammatical aspect, master it completely and then be asked next day to demonstrate your comprehension of it by constructing a whole sentence. Out loud. In front of the whole class. Which results in renewed trail and error because knowing how is not the same as speaking it. Because there's you thinking and trying to get the word right and then you have to remember more words and in which order did they all go again? And tenses. There's always those to stab you in the back, too.

Music is like that.

That's why he prefers mathematics. Logical without a fault. 

"Like this," Ohtori says and Hiyoshi needs to scramble sideways to avoid a mouthful of uniform shirt as Ohtori leans over to lean into the keys and  _play_ , like he always does, heart in his fingers and almost apologizing to the piano for Hiyoshi's inexpert fumbling. When he stops he just sort of stares at Hiyoshi, a ' _there you see?_ ' plastered between his eyebrows.

"I did that," Hiyoshi says, rather dryly. "Exactly like that."

"I -you…" Ohtori sort of waves his hands in the air. "No. You didn't." -a quick, apologetic wince- "No. You have to… your rhythm is way off and the way you press into the keys… you have to-" he stops and runs a hand through his hair. It stands up in disastrous half-curls and cowlicks.

Hiyoshi knows where he caught  _that_  bad habit.

"You have to  _listen_ , Hiyoshi," Ohtori says. "Not just  _do_ , you have to listen. It's not just moving your fingers."

"That's a big part of it, I'd say," Hiyoshi points out, because it is. How else is the music supposed to happen is not by pressing those keys.

"But most of the music happens here  _first_ ," Ohtori says, in that earnest, genuine way of his and Hiyoshi thinks he'll have to snort out loud if he actually is sappy enough to tap his heart, but instead Ohtori taps his temple. "Like tennis."

"This is nothing like tennis," Hiyoshi growls at him. 

At all. He likes tennis. He loves tennis. But he really, really,  _really_  doesn't like music. And less every minute.

"Try again," Ohtori just urges. "But listen  _first_."

Hiyoshi briefly considers arguing semantics because how can you listen  _first_ , when there's no music yet, but decides against it. After Ohtori has  once more ceded him more space he peers at the sheet, then at his fingers (and Ohtori can't seem to help himself but reach over to correct him again) and presses down. 

This time he decides to ignore Ohtori looking as though they're slaughtering his cat and just go on until the end. Because he knows Ohtori  _is_  giving him advice and because Ohtori knows what he's talking about, Hiyoshi does try to listen. But it's a limping, querulous sound that he draws forth, his heavy notes half-empty, the high ones shrill and wavering on everything else in-between and, frankly, it is just downright-

" _Whoa_ , that sucks, Wakashi!"

 _BEZOOOOOOOOOOONG_  protests the piano when Hiyoshi presses his hands flat down in irritation. Maybe if closes his eyes, he'll just go away.

"Why don't you show him how to do it  _right_ , Choutarou?" Shishido says, coming over and plunking himself down right next to Hiyoshi as though he's got all the right to.

"Well," Ohtori goes, tugging at his hair again. 

"That's what he was trying to do, Shishido-senpai," Hiyoshi tells him, voice level, not quite adding 'before you came along and interrupted' though he's annoyed enough he really wants to. And all this coming from the person who had allegedly been so hopeless at music he'd been degraded to the triangle -according to Jiroh-senpai.

Ohtori seems to be able to tell, as he instantly sets to convincing Shishido to scoot aside so he isn't crowding Hiyoshi and to shut up because 'it is really important for Hiyoshi-kun to learn and he needs to concentrate'. Then he turns to Hiyoshi again. "It was… quite…" 

Utterly amused, Hiyoshi wonders what word Ohtori will manage to choke out that is not an outright lie.

"Passable," he settles on in the end, looking rather miserable. "But don't worry! With a little more practice you'll be better than me!"

From his other side there's a little noise of derision. Ohtori gives his doubles partner a Look (one that may say: 'if you do not behave, Shishido-san, I am going to be very displeased with you and  _we don't want that, do we_?!) before grabbing Hiyoshi's hands and setting them on the keys again rather firmly.

"Play," he says. "And don't forget to-"

"Listen," Hiyoshi sighs. "Yes, I got it."

So, ignoring Shishido's rapidly rising levels of glee, he leans down and plays. It's as though with Shishido-senpai's presence his every stumble, his every hesitation is magnified thousandfold and the both of them are staring at his hands and he really wishes they'd  _stop_  and he really, really doesn't like music.

Finally, the last note sort of splutters and dies.

Silence.

"Uhm," Ohtori says.

Hiyoshi glares at the piano morosely.

"Wow, I wish I  _hadn't_  listened," is Shishido's succinct opinion on the matter and Hiyoshi has had quite enough.

Tilting his head to the side he gives him a serious and maybe even slightly hopeful look. "Well, senpai," he says. "Seeing as Ohtori-kun can't, maybe  _you_  should teach me."

"Sure- uh." Shishido blinks. "What?"

"To play the piano," Hiyoshi clarifies. "As good as Ohtori-kun can play, he can't seem to teach me. But you are so very good at teaching people, aren't you, senpai?"

"I." Shishido stutters. "Erm. Well."

" _And_ ," Hiyoshi goes on, "You have already had to play this last year, correct? So it should be easy for you." 

To make it even better, Ohtori's face brightens and he nods, "Hiyoshi-kun is right, Shishido-san! What a great idea!" and nobody can sound so sincere as Ohtori does when he means it.

And to that face, Shishido is utterly and completely powerless. His shoulders hunch.

"I… I suppose," Shishido mumbles, suddenly regarding the piano like those panties they once found in the club house, the violet silk ones that nobody knew where they came from but all sort of suspected belonged to Taki.

"Thank you," Hiyoshi says, dipping his head. "Please take good care of me."

Shishido glares at him, not at all fooled. 

Hiyoshi allows his lips to curl, just slightly.

Ohtori beams happily at them both.

Maybe music isn't all that bad, after all.

_Gekokujou_

_-fin-_


End file.
